Shoe construction



Dec. 5, 1967 LEVINE 3,355,824

SHOE CONSTRUCTION Filed Jam 21, 1966 INVENTOR.

557% A5 V//V United States Patent 3,355,824 SHOE CONSTRUCTION Beth Levine, New York, N.Y., assignor to Herbert Levine, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Jan. 21, 1966, Ser. No. 522,267 4 Claims. (Cl. 36-58.5)

This invention relates to a shoe cinch strap and more particularly to a shoe cinch strap within a shoe and depending from the top thereof.

Shoes sometimes slip off the wearers feet while walking, particularly in the case of low-back or backless shoes often used in ladies footwear.

Means are known in the art for securing a shoe to a wearers foot. A strap may be attached at both its ends to the lower portion of a shoe. The wearers foot slips through the strap and the strap holds the foot against the bottom of the shoe. Also, resilient clip means which grip the side and/0r top of the wearers foot may be attached to the shoe preventing the foot from slipping upward or backward, or securing means may be attached around the upper edge of the opening in the shoe for closing the upper edge tightly around the wearers foot. Another prior art device provides a strap which forms a loop and passes beneath an inner sole that provides a bottom terminus for the strap loop. Straps passing beneath the inner sole or attached to it will, through continued wearing, eventually pull off the inner sole.

Securing means shown in the prior art either pull the wearers foot toward the sole of the shoe or pull the sole of the shoe toward its upper portion which squeezes the wearers foot and holds it in place.

As the wearer walks, his rear foot bends upward at the toe joints pulling the feet away from the sole of the shoe. The sole is usually made of a relatively stiff flexible material, such as leather or rubber, and does not easily bend when the wearers foot does. When the foot is pulled toward the sole by a securing means and the foot bends, the sole, wanting to stay fiat, pulls against the securing means and the securing means .draws downward on the wearers foot causing unnecessary pulling and discomfort. If the securing means is affixed to pull the upper portion of the shoe toward the sole, this will squeeze the foot caught in the middle causing unnecessary discomfort.

The shoe cinch means of the instant invention pulls the wearers foot at or near the instep only against the upper portion of the shoe. When a person walks and his foot bends, his foot normally presses the upper portion of the shoe. Hence, a securing means which holds a wearers foot against the upper portion of a shoe does not add any extra sources of pressure on a foot.

In addition, none of the prior art securing means is adjustable anytime by the wearer to comfortably secure his foot within the shoe.

The shoe cinch means of the instant invention comprises an elastic strap secured to the inside of the upper portion of the shoe, either by the strap passing through apertures in the upper portion and being held by a buckle means, or by the strap being sewn or otherwise attached to the upper portion of the shoe. When a buckle means is used, the cinch means can be adjustable, for greater or lesser tightening around the wearers foot.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a shoe cinch strap which will prevent a wearers foot from slipping out of a shoe.

3,355,824 Patented Dec. 5, 1967 It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe cinch strap which will prevent unnecessary discomfort to the wearer.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe cinch strap which is attached to the inside of the upper portion of the shoe and which is free of the lower portion of the shoe.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a shoe cinch strap which can be held in place by a decorative means.

These and other objects will become apparent when consideration is turned to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side view of a shoe designed in accordance with the instant invention, having a shoe cinch strap shown therein.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective of a shoe designed in accordance with the instant invention having a shoe cinch strap attached thereto by a decorative buck-1e means.

Refer now to the drawings. Shoe 10 has sole 11, heel 12. Front upper portion 13 and rear upper portion 14 are attached at their edges to sole 11. Shoe 10 has an opening 15 into which a Wearers foot may be inserted. An elastic cinch strap means 16 is attached within the front upper portion 13 to the inside thereof at junctions 17 on opposite sides of shoe 10. Strap 16 is not held in any way to the bottom 18 of shoe 10. Strap 16 forms a loop within the opening 15 of shoe 10 and the wearers foot is inserted through the opening 15 through the loop of strap 16 and fully into shoe 10.

Elastic strap 16 securely holds the instep of the wearers foot within shoe 10 by pulling the arch and instep and sides of the wearers foot toward upper portion 13. If rear upper portion 14 slides downward oif the wearers foot, e.g., during walking, strap 16 holds the wearers foot securely within the shoe 10 and prevents it from falling from the wearers foot.

In FIGURE 2 shoe 20 is constructed similarly to shoe 1i except that strap 16 is integral with adjustable joining means 21, e.g., a buckle, through decorative strap extensions 22. Decorative strap extensions 22 pass through apertures 23 in upper portion 13 of shoe 20. They are joined beneath the surface of upper portion 13 to the ends of cinch strap 16 at junctions 24. In this manner, a decorative securing means is attached to the elastic cinch strap and holds the strap in place. The functional elastic strap does not show above the upper surface of the upper portion 13 of the shoe. The adjustable buckle means attached to the decorative strap permits the wearer to tighten or loosen the elastic cinch strap 16 to prevent discomfort and secure a tight fit.

By means of the above described shoe cinch strap, a person may wear a backless or low back shoe without fear of losing the shoe while walking.

While the above disclosure shows a womans shoe, this invention is not intended to be limited to womens footwear. It is fully adaptable to mens footwear, sandals, slippers, or any other shoe having no or little back portion for gripping the heel of the wearer.

Although this invention has been described with respect to its preferred embodiments, it should be understood that many variations and modifications will now be obvious to those skilled in the art, and it is preferred, therefore, that the scope of the invention be limited not '2 Q by the specific disclosure herein, but only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoe comprised of a sole, a heel, an upper portion, an elastic cinch strap adapted to be brought in direct contact with the sole face of the Wearers foot, and means securing said cinch strap to said upper portion, said cinch strap extending downward from its point of securement to said upper portion and across the entire width of said sole above said sole.

2. The shoe of claim 1, wherein adjustable securing means attach said cinch strap to the said upper portion of said shoe.

3. The shoe of claim 2, wherein the adjustable securing means is a buckle.

4. The shoe of claim 2, wherein said upper portion includes apertures formed therein, said cinch strap passing 4} through said apertures, and means securing said cinch strap outside said shoe including said adjustable securing means.

References Cited 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,038,939 9/1912 Murray et a1. 36-585 3,095,656 7/1963 Lipare 36-58.5

1O FOREIGN PATENTS 1,321,468 2/1963 France.

263,703 1/1927 Great Britain.

A. GUEST, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SHOE COMPRISED OF A SOLE, A HEEL, AN UPPER PORTION, AN ELASTIC CINCH STRAP ADAPTED TO BE BROUGHT IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THE SOLE FACE OF THE WEARER''S FOOT, AND MEANS SECURING SAID CINCH STRAP TO SAID UPPER PORTION, SAID CINCH STRAP EXTENDING DOWNWARD FROM ITS POINT OF SECUREMENT TO SAID UPPER PORTION AND ACROSS THE ENTIRE "WIDTH OF SAID SOLE ABOVE SAID SOLE. 